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A review by dgrachel
Mandela and the General by John Carlin
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing's early reviewer program in exchange for my honest review.
Mandela and the General is a brief history, in graphic novel format, of the end of apartheid in South Africa and how that came to pass. It's based primarily on an interview the author conducted with General Constand Viljoen. The book does have some good details, but I feel like this is a case where less is not more, and I was left feeling dissatisfied. I wanted more information on this pivotal time in South African history, as this barely scratched the surface.
Part of the problem may be that I am not the target audience, and I can see where this would be a good introduction to Mandela's history for a middle school student, something that would whet their appetite for further study. It lacked real depth. Another issue for me was the artwork. I didn't care for it, and when you don't like the art in a graphic novel, that makes it difficult to enjoy the story.
Overall, I'd give it 2.5 of 5 stars. I can see its value for a younger audience, but I wanted more.
Mandela and the General is a brief history, in graphic novel format, of the end of apartheid in South Africa and how that came to pass. It's based primarily on an interview the author conducted with General Constand Viljoen. The book does have some good details, but I feel like this is a case where less is not more, and I was left feeling dissatisfied. I wanted more information on this pivotal time in South African history, as this barely scratched the surface.
Part of the problem may be that I am not the target audience, and I can see where this would be a good introduction to Mandela's history for a middle school student, something that would whet their appetite for further study. It lacked real depth. Another issue for me was the artwork. I didn't care for it, and when you don't like the art in a graphic novel, that makes it difficult to enjoy the story.
Overall, I'd give it 2.5 of 5 stars. I can see its value for a younger audience, but I wanted more.